Casper’s Libyan Sibyl

The Libyan Sibyl is not the world's best painting. It's not the most famous from its time, and it’s not even the most famous of Michelangelo's works. It is, however, Andrew Casper's favorite painting.

Casper, an associate professor of art history at Miami University, declared this during a lecture, saying that if he could own any painting in the world, it would be that one. He then joked that anyone who steals it for him would get extra credit. Unfortunately, the painting is a fresco, which means stealing it would involve carving a hole in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

With theft off the table, I had another idea: Why couldn't I recreate it for him? I am an artist, after all.

The Libyan Sybil depicts a muscular woman in a bright orange dress holding an oversized book. The musculature is highlighted by the twisted pose and weight in her shoulders. A woman known for prophecies and writings is depicted by Michelangelo as someone who holds so much weight with pure ease.

As I got to work, I wondered why Casper never considered having someone paint a version of the Libyan Sibyl for him before.

But then I remembered — Casper is an art historian. They tend to focus heavily on each artwork being an object whose value came from existing at a singular moment in history.

Meanwhile, to an artist, art is something to be made and practiced.

Rigel has been thinking about this particular track meet all year. It’s the conference championship and her final meet of the indoor season. This is the meet her coaches care about winning the most and it’s against all her biggest rivals. She has heard whispers of her competitors and teammates doubting her, but she knows what she is capable of.

Rigel has been trying to treat today like any other day: She eats a good breakfast full of carbs, drinks plenty of water and conserves her energy.

As she approaches the ring, her high school throws don’t matter now. Nor do her throws from last year or even practice earlier this week.

All that matters is the next one.

She takes a deep breath, reminds herself to relax and lets it fly.

I went on to spend an afternoon researching Michelangelo and studied the way he painted figures. Then, I spent a week painting the Sybil in her twisting pose, lifting her oversized book with shoulders that would make even an Olympian jealous.

Finally, when my work was complete and Casper's birthday had arrived, I gave him my re-creation, and he was stunned. He simply held it for a moment in shock before suddenly reacting animatedly. He quickly talked about how excited he was that I made her look as strong as she did in the original, how the bright colors I used worked so well and how shocked he was that I went out of my way to make it for him.

He had never considered that anyone would look at a piece of art and re-create it, much less simply because he liked the work. During class, he proudly displayed my painting on the whiteboard, stopping class just to tell me how cool it was more than a couple times.

So today, in some small way, Casper did find a way to own the Libyan Sibyl, and he didn't even need to venture outside of Oxford.

After class, the painting found a new home. Hanging in the office of a man who loves it, on a wall among various awards, degrees and memorabilia from alma maters, exists an undergraduate's rendition of a painting that isn’t even the most famous painting on the ceiling it originates from.